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Progressive Calisthenics - The Official Blog for the PCC Community

progressive calisthenics

The Hand Truck Workout

March 24, 2015 By George Corso 20 Comments

George Corso Handtruck Workout

My clients count on me to be an innovative trainer. In fact, I’ve always enjoyed finding new and effective ways to work with people way before the trend of ‘being different just to be different’ became popular. So it wasn’t much of a surprise when my client Lorraine came in for her training session at my studio carrying a dolly that she grabbed from her dumpster at work. Her dad had made it but decided to get rid of it so she brought it with her and said “I have a very bad feeling that you can make good use of this”. Immediately my wheels started turning with all the fun ways I could use this thing. I took my time and experimented. I found movements that were safe and distinctly purposeful for my clients.

After a lot of thought and even more practice I came up with 24 useful ways to train with the dolly. Most of them stem from the prone position but each one remains unique with different neuromuscular firing patterns. Like all bodyweight training regimes, every exercise is a progression to more advanced movements. These movements are all accomplished with a “slow is smooth, smooth is fast approach. (Thank you Phil Dunphy.) They all not only require stability, but also an understanding of how the muscles of the body have to behave as one cohesive unit.

Here are the exercises in order from beginner to advanced.

THE PLANK WALK. I believe that the plank walk is the most important exercise of the 24 exercises I have listed. This one movement will set you up for all of the rest. It is excellent for developing control and discipline and it teaches a client how to become patient when learning and performing a new exercise. The plank walk is performed by keeping the body rigid while the forearms are resting on the dolly. The only parts of the body that are moving are the feet and ankles while you SLOWLY move towards your destination. It is imperative that this be mastered before moving on.

The next 4 videos demonstrate the plank walk:

  1. Plank Walk
  2. Injured Bear Crawl
  3. Wheel Barrow
  4. Reverse Wheel Barrow

Series 1 Hand Truck Workout

Be sure to continue to move slowly during the next progression.

THE TRAVELING PUSHUP. Now we will be adding additional movements. In the introductory phase we kept the body rigid while traveling with the dolly. Next we will be moving the body in different planes of motion while emphasizing control. Bodyweight practitioners discipline themselves to move with utmost precision in order to reap the greatest rewards. This is important to convey to the newcomers to this kind of conditioning.

The next 4 videos demonstrate the traveling pushup variations:

  1. Traveling Pushups
  2. Travel Bus Driver Pushups
  3. Single Leg Wheel Barrow
  4. Rotational Wheel Barrow

Series 2 Hand Truck Workout

THE TRAVELING V WALK. During the next series of exercises there is more emphasis on the transfer of weight onto the shoulders. This series is ideal for the client who wants to progress to walking on their hands in an inverted position. These selected exercises will definitely help them attain that goal. The traveling v walk will specifically strengthen the wrists. It also aids in teaching the client the proper forward lean that is needed while also adding flexibility to the wrists.

The next 4 videos demonstrate the traveling v walk and the variations:

  1. Traveling V Walk
  2. Traveling Inch Worm
  3. Tuck Walk
  4. Swimmers


Series 3 Hand Truck Workout

THE 360. The next series is called the 360 because there is a shift from developing strength towards developing stability.   These exercises require control and concentration from the client. There is an emphasis on 100 percent body compression as well.

The next 4 videos demonstrate the 360 and its variations:

  1. 360
  2. Side Walk
  3. Bus Drivers
  4. Single Arm Walk

Series 4 Hand Truck Workout

THE LEG SEQUENCE. This series emphasizes balance and leg strength. I was trained as a track sprinter and have come to the conclusion that it is important to isolate the hamstrings and fire up those fibers first by performing some bridges before moving on to squatting and lunging techniques.

The next 4 videos demonstrate the leg sequence:

  1. Hip Bridges and Leg Curl
  2. Straight Leg Bridge
  3. Injured Animal Run
  4. Pistol Sweeps


Series 5 Hand Truck Workout

PRESSING. These last 4 exercises will require that clients move while pressing. Your clients will need adequate shoulder stability and full body awareness before moving on to this advanced series. If your client has stalled in a particular calisthenic movement, these applications may help him or her to achieve a goal that at one time seemed impossible, or your client may just feel like these are achievements on their own! Either way, whatever your level, proceed slowly and own the move!

The next 4 videos will demonstrate the press sequence

  1. Hop off the Press
  2. Rotational Hop Press
  3. Sweeping One Arm Press
  4. Press and Slide

Series 6 Hand Truck Workout

You can pick up a dolly at the local hardware store and easily incorporate it into your training. Use your imagination and come up with variations specific to your clients’ needs. I use this piece of equipment in group training, with one on one, and during my own training. My clients love to tell me how much they have come to hate the dolly but always admit in the end that they love the results they are seeing!!!!

 

***

George Corso, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, PCC, RKC, I360, WKC, is the co-owner and founder of CORSO. Over the last 15 years, George has been a successful varsity track and field coach, working with athletes to reach district and state championships. He actively trains in the art of Jeet Kune Do (JKD) as a level 3 student. George can be contacted at george@corsofit.com.

Filed Under: Progressive Calisthenics, Tutorial Tagged With: bodyweight training, creative workout, George Corso, hand truck workout, plank progressions, progressions, progressive calisthenics

Healing Powers

March 3, 2015 By Danny Kavadlo 56 Comments

Danny Kavadlo Wolvie

Wouldn’t it be great if we all had healing powers? Think about it. If the perils of injury were non-existent? If the chances of maiming, straining or spraining any particular body part were a work of fiction, best suited for the comic books? What if the words “pain” and “gain” were not so frequently associated?

Marvel at a universe where getting hurt is not a major concern.

Well here’s the thing, bub: It’s NOT a major concern. Not much of one anyway. Now before you start freaking out, try hearing me out. Yes I acknowledge that it is possible that one can get injured doing a pull-up (or lifting weights, running, jumping, or even walking down the street). But it’s also possible to get hurt while cleaning your garage, giving birth, or driving a car. You can even choke while eating an organic kale salad. Does that mean we shouldn’t do these things?

Despite what some say, I’m a true believer that the chances of getting injured if you work out are much lower than if you don’t work out. Makes sense, right?

We are constantly subjected to fear-mongering tactics perpetrated by the media, even (especially?) the fitness industry itself. That’s right, my people: Most of the commercial fitness industry does not actually want you to work out! That’s why there is equipment (abs machines for example) that’s built to isolate muscles that are not made to be isolated! Or why treadmills are designed to give the illusion of exertion (fat burning zone???) but not get you in shape.

Ab Machine treadmill
These machines are not built to get you in shape.

It’s also why gyms sign up new members every day but never get any more crowded week to week. They’d go out of business if all their members actually got results. Better to sign you up, feed you some bullshit and send you on your way. Thank you, DON’T come again.

The real deal is that people respond to fear. When it snows, the news tells you to go out and stock up on groceries and shovels or you’re gonna die an icy death. (Conversely when it’s hot out–and a slow news day–similar threats are made about the perils of heat.) For shame.

Danny Kavadlo Snowy Pull-up
I’m not dead yet.

Ultimately, it’s the individual’s choice what to accept, inspiration or fear. The truth is that it’s very unlikely you will inflict bodily harm while calisthenics training. A plane can crash, but flying is still the safest way to travel. I’ve even fallen off my bicycle, but I still ride it every day. It’s still good for me. Don’t hate. Appreciate.

Danny Kavadlo One Arm Pull Up
Don’t hate. Appreciate.

Sure, a day (or even a week) off can be a good thing. But you don’t necessarily have to plan for it or measure it with a slide rule. And you certainly don’t need to be afraid to work out intensely or frequently. Let your body, life and experience dictate. Simply put, if your legs are aching, then train your arms. Listen to your body. It’s wiser than you think.

We all need to recover at times; I’d never deny it. As far as healing goes, respect your level. Though I sometimes feel like I have an adamantium skeleton, I don’t. So when those moments arise when I need to back off, I do. No biggie. Common sense prevails yet again.

Danny Kavadlo hmm
Hmmm… Try some common sense.

In fact, I’ve been practicing calisthenics for over 25 years and I’ve never suffered more than a few nicks and dings (mostly from bumping my head on the pull-up bar or other such carelessness). Some tendonitis is the worst injury I’ve ever gotten, which is relatively minor on the grand scale.

And if we do get injured, no we don’t have supernatural healing powers, so pay attention to what you’re experiencing. Embrace every moment with care. Be aware of what’s around you. These practices are helpful in all aspects of life, not just fitness. Living in the present goes a long way, my friends. Every body needs training!

Keep the dream alive,

-DK

***

Danny Kavadlo is one of the world’s foremost authorities on calisthenics, nutrition and personal training. He is the author of the Dragon Door titles Diamond-Cut Abs and Everybody Needs Training. Danny is known for his minimalist philosophy, simple approach and motivational talents.

A true in-person experience, Danny is a Master Instructor for Dragon Door’s Progressive Calisthenics Certification. He has been featured in the NY Times, TRAIN, Men’s Fitness and is a regular contributor to Bodybuilding.com. Learn more about Danny at www.DannyTheTrainer.com

Filed Under: Motivation and Goals, Progressive Calisthenics Tagged With: awareness, calisthenics, common sense, Danny Kavadlo, in the present, injury prevention, progressive calisthenics, safe training

Big Man Calisthenics

February 24, 2015 By Forest Vance 17 Comments

Forest Vance  with Al and Danny Kavadlo at the Encinitas PCC
Forest Vance with Al and Danny Kavadlo at the Encinitas PCC

A couple of years ago, cumulative injuries, less time to hit the gym, and just wanting a break from hard lifting motivated me to explore other modes of training to gain functional, healthy strength. I’d been lifting weights for almost 20 years and needed to try something different. The simplicity and practicality of bodyweight training appealed to me, but I always thought that at my size (6’4″ / 245 pounds) advanced calisthenics were out of my reach. If you look around YouTube, I’m a lot bigger than the typical people you see doing this stuff!

Back in my football days (I played college ball and had a short stint in the NFL), bodyweight work WAS a big part of our routine. However, it was mostly conditioning – stuff like jumping jacks and running in place. I had NO idea of how to use bodyweight training for any other type of goals (strength, muscle gain, etc).

I remember searching around on the internet one day and running across one of Al’s YouTube videos. It featured him doing human flags, muscle-ups, and a bunch of other stuff and that’s what led me down the “rabbit hole” of bodyweight exercise.

I went in to PCC Encinitas not knowing what to expect. Watching videos and practicing on your own is one thing, but going to an event like this with dozens of other calisthenics enthusiasts is another. I went in not knowing if I could even DO any of the exercises taught, let alone hang with the gymnast-types I expected to see at the event.

The certification weekend turned out to be one of the best fitness events I’ve EVER attended – and I’ve been to dozens over the 10 years I’ve been in the fitness business full time!

Forest Vance Muscle-Up

We learned and trained bodyweight exercise for three full days, including:

Push-ups
Pull-ups
Human flags
Muscle ups
Squats
Back bridges
Ab work (everything from L-sits to dragon flags to hanging leg raises)
Front and back levers
Floor levers
Handstands

And MUCH more.

From the staggering amount of new exercises, technique tips, and coaching cues I came away with, to the top-notch instruction from Al and Danny and the rest of the PCC team, to the positive attitude and energy of every single attendee, it was truly an amazing experience.

And my worries about fitting in and being able to hang were gone almost as soon as the event started. Being able to try “basic” versions of exercises like the human flag, muscle-up, dragon flags, floor levers, and many more showed me that these movements ARE possible for a big man. The huge amount of progressions presented showed me that if I put my mind to them, and work consistently on getting better over time, I can make a lot of progress!

Forest Vance Assisted Pistol

Add to that the accepting, positive, encouraging approach of the instructors, and you have probably the most universally applicable training course for a fitness professional that exists. Master this bodyweight stuff and you can train any client, anytime, anyplace, with zero equipment.

I feel a new enthusiasm for training that I haven’t felt in quite a while, really since I discovered kettlebells six or seven years ago. That alone is worth the cost and time of the trip 10x over.

It turns out my fear about my size was really just an excuse I made up in my mind! YOU can do this progressive calisthenics stuff – big or small, young or old, fit pro or just calisthenics enthusiast … make it happen! You’ll be glad you did.

Keep training hard!

Forest Vance At PCC

***

Forest Vance, PCC, RKC II, is a Master of Science in Human Movement, former professional football player, and currently runs a fitness boot camp and personal training facility in the Sacramento, CA area. Find years worth of free kettlebell and body weight – related articles, videos, and training courses at Forest’s personal blog at http://forestvance.com

Filed Under: Progressive Calisthenics Tagged With: big man calisthenics, Forest Vance, PCC Encinitas, progressive calisthenics, workshop experience

Increasing Frequency: How to Work Out More Without Overtraining

February 5, 2015 By Silvio Bauer 26 Comments

Silvio Blauer Pistol

If you are anything like me (which means people call you crazy, but that’s another story) you love to work out. You cannot go a day without training and you feel itchy when you miss a workout.

I’ve certainly been there while traveling or when I was stretched thin from work and social commitments. I get a bit moody and my feet start trembling. You may call me addicted.

But all this name calling is total nonsense, because there is a sound way to develop the resilience necessary to work out daily. The good news: I’m gonna tell you about it.

Ready? Good, let’s get to it then.

Why Go High Frequency?

So, let’s first consider the why before we delve into the how. There’s a good number of reasons why it’s pretty neat to be able to work out daily.

  • Habit building: People who struggle working out consistently might find it harder to collect enough will power 3 times a week compared to working out daily. But how can working out less often be harder? Because that way, it’s not a habit. When I come home after work, I change into my workout clothes, find a pull-up bar and do my workout. I don’t ponder about this, I just do it. It’s automatic. By working out only 3 times a week, it’s tempting to postpone a workout because every time, it’s a decision that has to be made.
  • More practice time: If your main goal is mere strength, a high frequency (HF) program is what you need. The more often you practice a certain skill, the faster your progress. And if you, like me, have a long wish list of feats of strength you want to accomplish, that additional practice time gives you room to sneak in one or two more moves you can practice.
  • Plateau busting: When you’re stuck with a progression, say, pistol squats, what can you do? Well, do a lot of pistols or pistol regressions. Do them every day. I dare you to not get better at a move by doing this.
  • Toughening up: When you finally buy into the HF training method, you forget about your excuses. It’s not a big deal anymore when you feel a bit stiff or sense a light muscle soreness. You’ll also learn to really listen to your body, how a good warm-up can do wonders and you will enjoy an enhanced ability to recover from your workouts.

If these are not good reasons to train more often, I don’t know what is.

However, here is what an HF program is not:

  • An ideal bodybuilding method: Most of the Monday-Wednesday-Friday routines come from the bodybuilding community. And if all you want is bigger guns, HF training as described here is not your best bet. I’m not saying you cannot build muscle with this (in fact I gained visible mass from doing pistols every day). It just might not be optimal for mass gaining.
  • A very structured routine: I’ll describe this in detail below, but to implement HF, you have to learn to go with the flow. Therefore, I recommend this only for strength trainees who A) know exactly what they want from their training and B) have enough experience to scale their workouts.

Now, if you want everything from the first list and can manage to miss out on the second one, here is what you need to do.

How to Implement High Frequency Training

Silvio Blauer

I came across the idea of HF training first by reading Squat Everyday by Matt Perryman. It’s an awesome read and, though it’s geared towards weightlifters, really useful for every fitness enthusiast because it’s about much more than just squats. It’s about questioning sport’s “science” and challenging your belief system from time to time.

I never thought I could train that often because I got really sore from my workouts. I was a big fan of the High Intensity Training (HIT) Method and therefore destroyed myself with every workout.

Now, my dentist told me that this won’t work if I wanted to work out almost every day. Here’s a diagram that illustrates why this is the case.

FIV_triangle

I call this the FIV triangle (I’m actually not the first person to come up with this diagram. I first saw this in an article by Alex Zinchenko). The orange dot in the middle is metaphorical you. You can be everywhere inside the triangle. The nearer you are to one corner, the more distant you are from the other two.

Now, when you want to work out very often, the first thing you have to do is do lower intensity and lower volume workouts (volume meaning the total number of sets you do each week, for every muscle respectively).

frequency-FIV

This is an extreme case and probably resembles something like working out 2 times a day, every day. If that’s you, I envy you for your spare time.

A useful method to implement higher frequency training would work with two things:

  1. Scale every workout so that the dot does not come near the lower corners of the FIV triangle (intensity and volume).
  2. Skew the FIV triangle so that a higher frequency is possible with intensity and volume being the same.

The skewed triangle below would resemble a good case of strength focused HF training.

high-frequency-FIV

This means we’re doing HF, medium high intensity and low volume.

To produce this kind of training regimen, you need to learn the Art of Going with the Flow and to push through some light discomfort. To elaborate this further, let’s take the pistol as an example.

Say you want to get really good at pistols and you therefore try to do them every day. Depending on your level of strength, the pistol can be a very demanding and therefore intense exercise. So doing 5 sets of 5 pistols (5×5) every day might be too much.

That’s exactly when you need to listen to your body: If you did a few intense sets of pistols on Monday, scale down on Tuesday. Maybe do a couple of sets of light bodyweight squats followed by one good set of pistols.

Maybe Wednesday and Thursday are medium intensity and you feel good to go again on Friday for a higher intensity workout. I plotted an exemplary weekly course of intensity in the diagram below.

intensity_curve

As you see, the intensity (the orange line) throughout the week varies significantly. This is to keep the balance between volume (dark grey area under the curve) and recovery (light grey area between curve and maximum intensity line).

Now we can see why the FIV triangle makes sense: If you keep intensity at maximum every day, there is no recovery. You can go high intensity, but therefore you need to have rest days (so intensity zero).

The low intensity days are nothing more than active recovery. In fact, doing lighter regressions of an exercise helps promote blood flow to your muscles and your joints, which in turn speeds up recovery and prevents injury. Spiffy!

There is no exact method how to scale each and every workout, because everybody is at a different level, both in strength and recovery ability. That’s something you need to experiment with yourself.

The neat thing about adopting this varied intensity scaling and HF training is that it makes you more resilient. You will get sore less often and will enjoy faster recovery. That’s mighty useful if you want to participate in a PCC Workshop, by the way. You won’t be beat up so much after the three days and can take The Century Test like a breeze.

So once you get the hang of taming your inner beast during your workouts, you can work on skewing the FIV triangle so that you can take more frequency with the same intensity and volume.

But do yourself a favor and be deliberate about your workouts. That means, keep a workout log and write out your workout beforehand on that specific day, based on how you feel. You can correct your plan during the workout but try to keep this at a minimum.

For the first few HF weeks, plan out your workouts lighter than you think you can handle. If after a week you think your workouts have been a joke, scale them up a notch.

Maintaining High Frequency Training

Silvio Blauer L-Sit

There are a couple of things to keep in mind when riding the HF horse. Firstly, warm-up properly with dynamic stretches, mobility drills or very light regressions of your target skill. After your workouts, I recommend some good old-fashioned stretching. Specifically stretch the muscles involved in your HF training.

After about 2 weeks of experimenting with pistols every day, I felt that my legs got really tense and stiff. It wasn’t soreness, just a slight tiredness. So I took a day off, did a nice recovery routine, had a couple of beers (I’m German, that’s how I recover 😉 ) and jumped on the pistol wagon again the next day.

So yes, you can take a day off once in a while. Just know that you won’t die from working out with slightly sore muscles. There have been so many times when I felt like I didn’t have enough energy for a productive workout, but after a good warm-up, it usually turned out great.

You also don’t have to implement this for all your skills and moves (but you could, I guess). I did this with pistols to finally master them with ease. But you could incorporate this for just about any skill like one-arm push-ups, elbow levers or dragon flags.

So there it is. All you need to know to toughen up and practice as often as possible without burning out. Happy tricking!

-Silvio

***

Silvio is a full time medical engineer who loves to practice and teach calisthenics in his free time. He enjoys creating workout plans for his friends and spreads the word about PCC over at his blog, NeatStrength.com. He writes about minimalist fitness and can also be reached through his Facebook page: facebook.com/neatstrength.

Filed Under: Progressive Calisthenics, Tutorial Tagged With: high frequency training, high intensity training, how to, neat strength, programming your training, progressive calisthenics, Silvio Bauer, tutorial

Unstoppable: PCC Encinitas Wrap-Up

January 29, 2015 By Adrienne Harvey 12 Comments

PCC Encinitas 2015 Group Photo

Since the very first PCC workshop in St. Paul, MN in June 2013, Al, Danny, and I have continually been impressed by the people who are attracted to the PCC. It may sound like a cliché, but even though we are the instructors, we always learn tons from the attendees. This PCC in Encinitas, California was no exception, and possibly one of the most inspiring and educational workshops yet. One of the things that I most admire about Al and Danny as Master PCC Instructors is their continued commitment to constantly honing and improving how they teach and present the PCC. Since I haven’t had a chance to teach alongside them in several months, it was even more obvious to me how much they had tightened up the already great curriculum for maximum results.

The group of participants at the Encinitas workshop was especially unique. For starters, some came from the immediate area, but others arrived from as far away as the East Coast, Japan, Brazil, and Puerto Rico. While the majority of participants are usually fitness professionals, this group also included an IT security expert, people working in construction, retired law enforcement officers and firefighters, a current firefighter, active and former military, physical therapists, a research scientist, an attorney, a teacher, a US Marine MAIT (Martial Arts Instructor Trainer), along with many very accomplished personal trainers and coaches. Even beyond that, the age range of the participants (18 to late 60s) was nearly as impressive as the extreme skills and strength exhibited by the older attendees.

John Fletcher Performs a fingertip L-Sit
John Fletcher Performs a Fingertip L-Sit

Danny and I had a funny conversation over the past weekend about how we’ve both started to see our ages as a bragging point—not unlike when we were kids on the playground! (“Oh yeah? I’m TEN so I get to go on the monkey bars first!”) But we also both agreed that because of our training and lifestyles, we feel as good now—if not better—than when we both were younger. Personally, I know for a fact I’m far better coordinated, stronger and more skilled than when I was just thirty. Age does not have to mean a decline in strength or ability—regardless of what the mainstream media constantly tells us. The attendees in their 40s, 50s, and 60s were not slowing down at all, it was very clear that their ages were just an indication that they’d had more time to practice! They were irrefutable proof that you really can train with progressive calisthenics for a lifetime—a strong, able, enjoyable and healthy lifetime.

Larry Berry Performing One of MANY Front Levers of the Day
Larry Froley Performing one of MANY front levers he did that day

Another pattern with this group were some of the incredible comeback stories (which you will be hearing much more about in future interviews on DragonDoor.com). The participants in Encinitas were so driven that age, an accident, life-threatening incident, or even the loss of a limb in the past could not stop them from excelling at their training—and getting the most out of this workshop.

During the Century, Al, Danny and myself each had a testing station, and the number of participants was such that one person would be testing on their own at the end with Al Kavadlo. David Rodriguez who had been inspiring everyone all weekend, waited until the very last to take his test. David (pictured below) has one prosthetic leg, but was so strong, skilled, and agile that I honestly kept forgetting that anything was different about him at all. His incredible attitude effected the group on a very deep level, which was fully evidenced during his test. David not only passed, but SMASHED each part of the Century Test to a soundtrack of our cheers and short periods of awed silence. As he strongly completed the 10th pull up (and looked like he could go for at least 10 more) the emotions in the room ran strong. David’s hand is probably still sore from all the high-fives…

David Rodriguez completing the Century Test
David Rodriguez completing the Century Test

In addition to the curriculum, other benefits of attending the PCC of course includes networking with other fitness professionals and enthusiasts. And while friendships are always formed at the PCC, this time they seemed to happen right from the beginning. Normally it takes about a day for a group to gel, but for some reason, at the Encinitas PCC, this process started right on the first day. At one point I nearly mistook a pair of training partners for old friends or even family. It’s actually a shame that these two guys live across the country from each other because they are ideal workout partners. Originally, Russell Demczak and Alex Martinez paired up for some of the drills because they have similar builds, then continued to train and excel together during the whole weekend. During the extremely advanced back lever portion of the workshop, despite it being near the end of the day, each of their reps showed marked improvement.

Steady improvement was another universal theme for the weekend. While we always see drastic improvements, PRs, and other victories great and small, I was particularly impressed with the sheer volume of incremental and steady improvement from everyone. Can’t wait to see what these people are doing six months from now!

I don’t like to speak for others, but feel safe to say that all the PCC instructors this past weekend were honored to teach such a fun, accomplished and inspiring group at the Encinitas PCC.

Moments from the Encinitas PCC

Hope to see you at a PCC Workshop soon,
Adrienne Harvey, Senior PCC Instructor

***

About Adrienne Harvey, Senior PCC Instructor, RKC-II, CK-FMS, Primal Move Nat’l Instructor: Originally RKC Certified in 2010, and RKC Level 2 certified in 2011, kettlebell and bodyweight training have been crucial in Adrienne’s personal quest for fitness. A core member of the PCC team, Adrienne loves sharing her knowledge with small groups and individuals. She also loves to develop recipes and workout programs to further support performance, body composition, and of course—FUN. Go to http://www.giryagirl.com for more information about Adrienne!

Filed Under: Workshop Experiences Tagged With: Adrienne Harvey, Al Kavadlo, California, Danny Kavadlo, Encinitas, PCC Workshop, progressive calisthenics, workshop experience

The “Diesel 20”: Add Twenty Pounds of Muscle in One Year —Using Only Bodyweight

January 6, 2015 By Paul "Coach" Wade 255 Comments

Danny Kavadlo 1 Arm Push Up

Okay. It’s the New Year. It’s 2015—that means another year just slipped by you.

Another ****ing year.

That vague image you had of your ideal self: of jacking up to a dangerous, bone-shattering level of strength, and bulking up some serious muscle…you got there yet? Huh? Or are you still running around on a low setting, chasing your own ass?

Big changes need to be made, stud. And big changes require big personal challenges. A rich dude I knew back in the Bay once told me that it was EASIER to set—and meet—the goal of making a million dollars, than setting and meeting a goal of making a hundred thousand dollars. Why? Cuz the bigger goal is more inspiring. It unleashes more psychic energy; causes you to truly marshal ALL your forces to meet the challenge. The same principle that holds true for money holds true for your body. A big, inspiring, challenging goal is more likely to be met than a small, flimsy, pathetic one. So here’s a goal for ya:

I want to help you put on 20 pounds of muscle in a single year: using only bodyweight training.

Matt Schifferle Muscle
PCC Instructor, Matt Schifferle is a calisthenics master who exclusively uses bodyweight…does it look like he has a problem adding slabs of muscle? Check out the loaded guns!

Now, if you love training and that ain’t a goal to jack you up—you’re probably dead already. Twenty pounds of dense, solid muscle is an awe-inspiring amount of beef, and would totally revolutionize your body. Forget what you mighta seen on bodybuilding sites or magazines, where guys talk about putting on ridiculous amounts like fifty pounds in a year. That’s real rare, and when it does happen it is purely the result of huge amounts of steroids and other chemical poisons: it is mostly water, and what isn’t water is fake, artificial tissue that’ll disappear (taking extra with it) when the drugs are discontinued. That’s madness to me: if you want to look big using dumbass tricks, just stuff some goddam Kleenex in your sleeves. (In fact, modern bodybuilders are actually doing the equivalent of this. Google “synthol abuse” if you feel like laughing at the mentally challenged.)

What will twenty pounds of REAL muscle look like on you? Imagine a big, juicy quarter pounder burger patty. Now, remember that a quarter pounder burger is its raw weight: and that patty is at least a third bigger before cooked up. Now imagine four of these big, raw patties squashed together. That big, meaty lump is pretty much what a pound of muscle looks like. So imagine twenty of those lumps (that’s eighty large raw burgers).

It’s quite an amount, no? If you could plaster your torso, arms and legs with all that meat, you’d appear much, much bigger and more intimidating. (Remember, if you count bones, organs, skin and the rest, the average guy only has about forty pounds of lean muscle on his body anyway.)

And as for strength? Damn, son—if you really want to level up your raw power, getting diesel is a real good way to do it. Yep, there are some real pansy huge bodybuilders out there, and there are some tiny guys who can lift like Superman. But as a general rule, there is a direct correlation between muscle and strength. That’s why powerlifters and Olympic lifters move up through weight classes throughout their careers: as they gain strength, they gain lean muscle tissue. Plus, you’re not gonna be pumping out reps on silly machines, right? You are gonna be using the ultimate functional training tool: your body. You WILL become alpha-strong as a consequence of training for this goal.

How to really do it: six keys to success

You are probably expecting a routine here, right?

In truth, it’s very, very tough to work hard on just one routine for a year. Most athletes will get stale and bored, and quit. Thinking “programs” is not enough. Putting on the “Diesel 20” is a big ask—it’s kinda like going to war. Exercises and routines are your weapons and equipment. In war, the tactics you use are way more important than your weapons. We’ll talk programs a little later—let’s absorb the tactics first. Here are SIX Alpha-Building tactics to keep you on the straight and narrow:

  1. Joints first

If you are going into a year of hard training, you gotta be conditioned to it first. The job of a beginner—no matter what age they are—is to learn the correct calisthenics movement patterns, build basic strength, and condition their joints. If beginners launch into tough regimes designed to build maximum muscle, they will only end up hurt and frustrated. If you are a beginner and want a great starter routine for the New Year, I wrote one here just for you.

  1. Work the basics.

Despite what you might believe, tons of muscle is NOT built by working with dozens of exercises, working with isolation-type moves, or by working each muscle head “from every angle”. This might (or might not) be a method for putting the finishing touches on a physique that already carries plenty of beef—for actually building mass, its worse than useless. A better tactic is to structure your training around a handful of basic, compound movement-types, used progressively. I favor the “Big Six”: pullups, bodyweight squats, handstand pushups, bridges, leg raises, and pushups. (Some folks might choose to include dips as part of the pushup family.)

Al Kavadlo Bar Dips
I’m a pushup man myself, but I gotta say it:
dips can be an excellent upper-body builder.

Note that “structuring your training around” these six does NOT mean you are limited to six exercises. The Big Six are families of exercises: so when you are doing “pullups”, you might actually want to do two types of vertical pull plus a horizontal pull to work all your back muscles: three exercises, but they all come under the “pullup” banner. As long as you stick to the basics and work progressively, this is a good way to work everything to the max.

You can add other bodyweight work, certainly for the lower body: explosive jumps and plyo work goes well with squats, as does sprinting training. (Hill or stair sprints build more muscle on the legs than you might imagine: many UFC fighters actually favor this kind of work over barbell squats.)

Beyond this, if you want to throw in some different stuff into your sessions—maybe isolation movements or static exercises—sure you can. But use these things sparingly, as add-ons, rather than the backbone of your program.

  1. Mix low AND high reps.

High reps or low reps for maximum muscle gain? If you read my article, The Ten Commandments of Calisthenics Mass (Commandment X), then you know that you need BOTH. For upper-body, it’s a great idea to begin your sessions by using very hard pulling and pushing exercises which limit you to low reps. If you want, you can use more sets than usual. One useful method is to shoot for 10-15 reps over as many sets as it takes.

It doesn’t matter what exercise you use—dips, pullups, pushups, levers, handstand pushups, whatever—just use low reps for your primary push and pull movement, and constantly try to move up to harder and harder techniques. For the rest of the pulling/pushing exercises of your workout, you should shoot for higher reps, attempting to really drain the muscles. In the old days, this used to be called the “heavy/light” system. There are alternative equivalent methods, but this combination works very well over the long term.

You can use this approach for legs, too, but since the lower body has adapted to carrying you around all day, you can usually grow well using just higher reps.

  1. Sets and reps?

As I said above, if you are working with very hard exercises, where you can only get low (1-5) reps, you can use more sets to reach your rep goals. (If you can only do four strict pullups, for example, you might set a workout rep goal of ten reps, and do a set of four, a set of three, and three singles—or whatever you can manage.)

If you are pushing hard on muscle-building, higher rep sets (8-20) stick to one or two sets and just give it your all. (Extending your set—by changing grip, style, range-on-motion, speed or position—doesn’t count as a new set. It’s all one set, baby!) That’s miles better than just plugging away. Sure, for legs you can get away with adding more sets than this, but always emphasize quality over quantity.

  1. Hit it hard or go home.

If you want to transform yourself this year, work ****ing hard when you train. How hard? Hard enough to improve—it ALL comes down to this. “Improving” doesn’t mean “jumping to stuff that’s too difficult”. It means finding a baseline you find manageable but tough, and consistently improving form, adding a rep here or there, or making minor technical progressions. These all add up over the year to huge changes.

I’m not a generally huge fan of training to “failure” for most workouts. But the reality is that the harder you push yourself, the better your body adapts, to cope with the perceived effort. Eight reps is better than six reps. Fourteen reps is better than ten reps. If you are fired up and committed to gaining a LOT of muscle in the near future, you need to push yourself more than you might in regular strength training sessions.

  1. Stay away from the weights.

To those of you versed in modern fitness “culture”, this sounds nuts. Sacrilege, even. You gotta hit that bench, those heavy squats, or you can’t grow, bro! Sure. That’s why gymnasts are some of the most muscular natural athletes on the planet.

Yes—bodyweight training WILL jack you up.
Yes—bodyweight training WILL jack you up.

In the REAL world, using weights makes training TOO EASY. That’s why most gym-trained folks never change. Any fat weakling can do bench presses or machine curls. But strict dips? One-leg squats? Hanging levers? One-arm pushups? Only for REAL athletes.

Bodyweight also keeps you honest. It’s simple to bulk up 20 pounds of fat and go do some deadlifts and convince yourself it’s “all muscle”. But when you are struggling to add reps to your pullups, you know the truth from the lies pretty damn quick.

Programs, Paulie?

Okay—that’s the tactics. What about the program?

Well, I can’t give you a program. That changes over a year. (For sure, the exercises you use MUST change, as you grow in power and mass.) There are plenty of programs you can apply these tactics to in Convict Conditioning, Raising the Bar and C-MASS.

Like I said, your program should ideally be based around six basic components (which are distilled into the Big Six). Pullup variations, bodyweight squats and leg work, bridges, handstand work, leg raises/midsection and pushups. They key is to work these six families hard. What does “hard” look like? Here’s a sample intermediate routine, containing just two workouts, cycled with a day off between each. The exercises may change if you are not this strong, but the flavor is there:

WORKOUT 1: Pullups, Squats, Bridges

Pullups

Everyone loves pullups! You warm up with two sets of five regular two-arm pullups and some hanging stretches, just to get everything loose. After that’s it’s archer pullups—an exercise you find pretty tough. You want to get ten cumulative reps in today: it doesn’t matter how many sets it takes. You begin with your weakest side, and manage to grind out four good reps. You repeat that on your stronger side, then get three reps on both sides. You finish with another set of two (both sides) and a single (both sides), making ten reps (4, 3, 2, 1). Not quite failure, but tough, stimulating work—you’re going for eleven reps next time, champ!

Not done yet, though. After some shoulder circling, you head back to the bar to finish off with regular, two-arm pullups. Your lats and biceps are so shot that strict, deep reps are out of the question now: so you only go ¾ of the way down, and swing yourself up. One set of nine of these, and there’s no point in doing any more vertical work: your lats are flash fried.

Al Kavadlo Shredded Back Pull Up
ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: Shredded upper-back!

Your upper-back and traps could use some more training, right? So it’s back to everybody’s favorite, horizontal pulls. You set yourself under a low bar and pull yourself up until your chest touches, forcing your shoulder-blade muscles to contract almost painfully, even from rep one. A strict set of eight, followed by a set of seven leaves your upper-back tissues pumped and burning as hell.

By now, your entire upper-back has had a great workout—front-to-back, side-to-side. You are a Spartan though, and want to finish off with a little treat for your grip—hanging grip holds. To help work the entire hand, you throw a couple towels over the bar, turning a tough exercise into a real bastard. Your forearms are pretty thrashed already, so you can barely last a few seconds each hold—three sets and yer hands are cramping, with your forearms feeling so hot, you want to plunge them into ice water. Great work. You are doing something right! Thankfully, your arms can take a break now. Legs are up next.

Squats

After a warm-up of jogging on the spot and jackknife squats, it’s time for the perfect neural primer if you want big legs: explosive jumps. Three sets following the rules and progressions I set out in Convict Conditioning 3 (released soon!) and BANG—it’s suddenly time for squats.

Perfect one-leg squats are a little tough for the rep range you’re shooting for, so you start with a version of assisted squats, using a doorframe to help pull yourself up. You go tough on yourself, though—each rep is slow, strict, momentum-free, and with as little help as possible. Ten strict reps per leg, for three sets, leave your quadriceps feeling like they’ve been surgically removed, dipped in battery acid, then sewn back in.

But you need more squats—for motor patterning and conditioning. (Don’t worry, those big leg muscles can take it.) So you work with deep, strict, perfect two leg squats—two sets of fifty reps leave those legs pumped and blitzed beyond belief. Not done yet though—you head outside for some sprints. (I’m betting you have a stretch of road. Somewhere.) You set a point around a hundred meters away, and hit it. At first it feels like you’re running through Jell-o, but you grit your teeth and somehow adapt. Five rounds of sprints with a minute in-between leaves those legs shot and shaky. You ever seen a sprinter’s legs, kid?

Allan Wells Sprinter Quads
Allan Wells is just one example of a champion sprinter with great legs who never touched a weight: he stuck to plyometrics and bodyweight circuits, and in the eighties his contemporaries said that when he flexed, his quads looked “like a road map”.

Bridges

Back indoors and though you yearn to crash on the couch, you still have another exercise to go: bridges. Everything is warm now, so you head straight to bridge pushups: fifteen reps seem easy, so you stretch out and switch to gecko bridge pushups—one arm, one leg. Only for champions, this. You are shaking and trembling, but manage four reps apiece. It doesn’t feel like enough, so you go back to regular bridge pushups, and bang out a set of twelve: each rep with a three second pause, tensing at the top. Just to bulk up those back-legs, you finish with two sets of straight bridges—twenty-five and eighteen reps leave your hamstrings (and triceps) aflame.

Convict Conditioning Bridges
Classic bridge pushups. Not sure what the book is called.

By now, it’s time to call it a day. But there’s a nagging feeling in the back of your mind: you suspect that you worked your legs so damn hard—all the squats, jumps and running—that you couldn’t give your spinal muscles all they deserved during the bridges. Your legs gave out first. Sure, you gave them a good workout, but “good” won’t build the Diesel 20, right? So you rock up to the overhead bar again, jump up and spin round into a back lever. Yeah, it’d be ideal to lever up and down, but your body is so brutalized now, just holding the lever is an achievement. You hold it ramrod stiff for three seconds—spinal muscles like steel pythons…five seconds…body shaking…eight seconds, and down. You give yourself a goal of thirty seconds total, holding the back lever: it takes seven ruthless, cumulative sets to manage it. By the end of it, you are sweating and exhausted, and your spinal muscles are thrashed to hell.

Do you do any more for your legs and back? Any squats, deadlifts, leg curls, hacks, adductor band moves? NO! Not because you don’t want to, because you can’t. Your muscles are worked to the max!

Forget what the fools tell you that you can’t build muscle with calisthenics. If you can train like this once or twice a week for a year, you will revolutionize yourself. This stuff would add mass to a pencil! Go have a steak and a good night’s sleep—you earned it.

WORKOUT 2: Handstand pushups, leg raises, pushups

It’s 48 hours, ten hours sleep and several quality meals since your last workout: but your legs are still a little stiff. Must be time to hit it again with workout 2! We did pullups, squats and bridges last time: this time it’s handstand work, midsection and pushups. Mostly upper-body. Your legs shouldn’t have to work too hard.

Handstand pushups

A good warm-up is always a great idea before shoulder work. So you start with shoulder rolling, active stretches, plus a few handstands against the wall. That gets some blood in there. Time to hit handstand pushups: for your first set, you bust out a strict set of six—not too shabby. Two minutes rest and you’re back on it—five reps. Maybe you could have got six, but it’s not wise to push too hard when your skull is hovering above the ground, right? You still want more, so you add sets rather than doing lots of reps all at once. Another set of 3, then a final perfect single rep, and you call it a day (that’s 15 reps: 6, 5, 3, 1). On that final single rep you hold your arms locked out for a total of about twelve seconds—seems like forever. You don’t quite crumple to the floor after this, but you ain’t far off.

Arnold Handstand Push-Up
Yep. Even Arnold himself used handstand pushups from time to time—
the legendary Frank Zane spots him.

You can feel the deep stimulation in the deltoids and triceps as you wander around, shaking out your wrists and arms. How can your shoulders and arms NOT grow after a beating like this? Hell, your whole damn upper-body feels like it’s had a workout!

Leg raises

Need to stretch out those compressed torso and shoulder muscles—after a break and a sip of water, you head off to the horizontal bar.

Your body is already warm, so after a couple sets of light, stretchy, knee raises, it’s time for the real stuff: strict hanging leg raises. With your legs as stiff as ramrods and using zero momentum, you bust out a set of eighteen. On the next set you only get six reps before you need to start swinging and cheating, but fight your way to eleven anyway. Two sets and your abs, waist and hips are toast.

Al Kavadlo Six Pack
Al’s six-pack was built with bodyweight training and nutritional discipline. No machines, drugs or supplements are necessary for a stripped steel stomach like this.

You drop down and walk to the other side of the room, to give your grip a bit of a rest, then you’re back—this time for hanging knee raises. These should seem easy after the straight-leg stuff, but your abs are tired: you can manage one really, really tough, messy set of twenty-one. Your hanging strength is spent now, so you head to the floor. You get on your back, not for a rest, but to work on some lying leg raises. One set of twelve strict, wheezing reps and you are nearly done. There’s a little gas left in those abs, so you quickly hook your feet under the couch and move to fast sit-ups. Just ten reps in, your abs are ready for suicide. By fifteen, “fast” is out the window, and you are gulping breaths on the floor between reps. You shoot for thirty, but twenty three is your absolute limit today—not because you quit, but because your stomach muscles do. How do you know you’re done? You can’t even get up for a full minute—your abs won’t respond. So you lie down and get your breath until you can face the next movement.

Pushups

You take a few minutes to walk off the pain in your belly, stretching a little to let the blood and waste products in your tight abs dissipate, then it’s back to your true love: the floor. A couple of easy warm up sets of pushups, then you’re into the real stuff. Let’s work the arms and shoulders with close pushups—one strict, slow set of twelve leaves your pushing muscles hot, and your triceps swollen like balloons. So we repeat the feat! Or try—you manage an agonizing-but-strict ten reps. You could not do more close pushups if you tried. So you place your hands a few inches apart, and the shift allows you another three pushups. Then you move a few inches apart again—two more. By now your upper-body is screaming in pain, and you are huffing like the Little Engine That Could. But you are a warrior, and there is more in you. So you switch to regular pushups, and manage to grind out five okay reps—with a little body English. This last set has lasted twenty reps—but WHAT a set it was. For sanity’s sake, you take a ten second breather, shaking out your arms and shoulders. Still not done, you get back into the pushup position and pump out some partials—nine half reps, six quarter reps, and finally about a dozen “pulse” reps: just bumping up and down, to squeeze the last bit of juice from your muscles. If the floor was a 500lbs barbell, it wouldn’t be any easier to push!

By now, the triceps and shoulders are blown to bits. But the pecs—after a three minute rest they got a little bit left in the tank. You set up two chairs a little way apart, and place your palms of the seats for stretch pushups, setting your feet up on a box at hip height to make things even tougher. Ten reps and your chest muscles are in agony. You manage eleven. But instead of crashing down, you pop your feet down on the floor to improve your leverage and continue. You manage another four reps only, your chest screaming at you the whole way. You’re toast.

Clint Walker Stretch Pushups
In the fifties and sixties, actor Clint Walker had the best pecs in Hollywood. The stretch pushups didn’t hurt none, huh? (You’re right. He shoulda played Superman.)

It takes you five minutes of rest before you feel ready to hit the shower. Another killer workout in the bank—but look on the bright side. You got another 48 hours to rest before going back to workout 1 and kicking yourself in the ass again.

Got the idea?

Gentlemen, it’s training like this that builds SERIOUS MUSCLE. It’s not easy. It’s not really fun. But if you can train like this for a year you will look like all those guys you always dreamed of looking like. I’m not saying you should do this workout—you can use any workouts you like—I’m just trying to give you a taste of the kind of hard-ass, focused training that will ramp up your muscle mass quickly.

Another point is that you need to—always—vary the exercises you are using to reflect your strength and ability. For most people, the exercises in the above workouts, with those rep levels, would be too tough. For some hard cases, these exercises would be too easy. The exercises you use will change as you get stronger, fairly quickly: the athlete performing these exercises would “outgrow” them fairly soon, as he moves to harder and harder stuff over the year. (How do you “move to harder and harder stuff”? You meet rep goals on the exercises you are doing, then find ways to make ‘em a little harder. You got this thing, right?)

Fit Rebel Push-Up

Just Do It

If you are really up for this challenge—Beta to Alpha in twelve short months—one final piece of advice. Keep it secret. I don’t believe this modern bullshit that you should shout your goals to as many folks as possible. There is magic in secrecy, in knowing something nobody else does. Social media is one reason so few folks get in shape these days—they expend all their mental energy talking about their goals, and leave none for the goals themselves.

Shoot me a comment with questions or ideas—but don’t promise me you are gonna do it. Promise yourself. If you really want to go for this, get weighed, take a photo of your physique, and come back in one year to show me how awesome you got. I WILL publish it, and you WILL get famous.

I believe in you, kid.

A million thanks to the greatest calisthenics trainers on earth, Al and Danny Kavadlo, for providing most of the photos. Find Al at AlKavadlo.com and Danny at DannyTheTrainer.com. It was also an honor to be able to use shots of the Fit Rebel himself, Matt Schifferle. This guy is a master bodyweight bodybuilder, and really understands the science like nobody else in the world. Please check out his site, RedDeltaProject.com.

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Paul “Coach” Wade is the author of Convict Conditioning, Convict Conditioning Volume 2, the Convict Conditioning Ultimate Bodyweight Training Log, and five Convict Conditioning DVD and manual programs. Click here for more information about the Convict Conditioning DVDs and books available for purchase from Dragon Door Publications.

Filed Under: Motivation and Goals, Progressive Calisthenics Tagged With: Al Kavadlo, Big Six, bodyweight exercise, C-Mass, calisthenics, Convict Conditioning, Danny Kavadlo, goals, how to gain muscle with calisthenics, Matt Schifferle, muscle building, Paul "Coach" Wade, Paul Wade, progressive calisthenics

The Top Ten PCC Blog Posts of 2014

December 30, 2014 By Al Kavadlo 12 Comments

PCC Workshop with Al and Danny Kavaldo

As the year comes to an end, it’s fun to take a look back and reflect. 2014 was a big year for the Progressive Calisthenics Certification!

The PCC community continues to grow and many of you may have only discovered us recently. With a new post running every week, it’s all too common for great content to get lost in the shuffle. I’m proud of each and every post we shared this year, so it was tough to pick my favorites!

With that said, let’s take a look back at my top ten PCC blog posts of 2014 (in no particular order):

–With nearly 300 comments, Coach Wade’s primer on his forthcoming masterpiece, Explosive Calisthenics, was clearly you guys’ favorite post of the year!

–Global Bodyweight Training creator Mike Fitch explained why handstands make you better at everything.

–Senior PCC Adrienne Harvey shared this fantastic tutorial on progressions for the dragon flag.

–The “Fit Rebel” Matt Schifferle told us why so many folks have their arm training backwards.

–A lot if people think the Kavadlo Brothers never wear shirts. This might be why.

Al and Danny Kavadlo Seldom Wear Shirts...
–Grace Menendez showed us how learning to do an elbow lever made her feel like a superhero!

–Dave Mace detailed his ongoing journey toward the one arm pull-up.

–Thanks to your support, I’ve been starting to feel like PCC is taking over the world!

–Corey Howard explains how breaking his arm wound up giving him the chance to make calisthenics leg training his top priority – and get the quads he always wanted!

–In another twist of fate, PCC attendee Marcus Santer failed the Century test but gained an important lesson along the way.

Thanks to all of you who read this blog and support the PCC movement. I can’t wait to see what next year has in store for the PCC and the entire bodyweight strength training community. Let me know what your favorite posts were from this year in the comments below.

We’re Working Out!

Al

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About Al Kavadlo: Al Kavadlo is the lead instructor for Dragon Door’s Progressive Calisthenics Certification. Recognized worldwide for his amazing bodyweight feats of strength as well as his unique coaching style, Al is the author of four books, including Raising The Bar: The Definitive Guide to Pull-up Bar Calisthenics and Pushing The Limits! Total Body Strength With No Equipment. Read more about Al on his website:www.AlKavadlo.com.

Filed Under: Progressive Calisthenics Tagged With: 2014 recap, Al Kavadlo, bodyweight training, calisthenics tutorials, progressive calisthenics, top ten of 2014

PCC Recap: 2014

December 16, 2014 By Al Kavadlo 23 Comments

PCC Holland with Al and Danny Kavadlo

2014 has been a landmark year for the PCC and things are only getting bigger!

In the first full calendar year of PCC, we held 9 certification events and tested over 200 candidates, visiting 6 different countries on 3 separate continents along the way. Personal records were shattered, friendships were formed and lives were forever changed. (Perhaps mine more than anyone else’s!)

John Du Cane, Al Kavaldo, Danny Kavadlo, Adrienne Harvey

It has been an absolute pleasure getting to meet and work out with other like-minded calisthenics enthusiasts from so many different places. I am proud to say there are now certified PCC coaches all over the world!

Al and Cecelia Tom Clutch Flag at the PCC

The calisthenics movement continues to grow and grow. Next year we have confirmed 11 more PCC events through the end of September (we will likely still add one or two more for October-December).

In 2015 we’ll be visiting unchartered land as well as returning to some familiar territory. Here is the line-up for the new year:

January 23-25, 2015 – PCC in Encinitas, CA

February 27 – March 1, 2015 – PCC in Mountain View, CA

March 27-29, 2015 – PCC in Minneapolis, MN

Mini Group Photo MN PCC Workshop

April 17-19, 2015 – PCC in Munich, Germany

April 24-26, 2015 – PCC in Alessandria, Italy

May 1-3, 2015 – PCC in Dundalk, Ireland

May 15-17, 2015 – PCC in Dallas, TX

Mini Group Photo Germany PCC

June 5-7, 2015 – PCC in NYC

July 31- Aug. 2, 2015 – PCC in Alexandria, VA

Sept 11-13, 2015 – PCC in Haarlem, Holland

Sept 18-20, 2015 – PCC in Chicago, IL

Hope to see you there! We’re Working Out!

ProgressiveCCInstructorBanner

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About Al Kavadlo: Al Kavadlo is the lead instructor for Dragon Door’s Progressive Calisthenics Certification. Recognized worldwide for his amazing bodyweight feats of strength as well as his unique coaching style, Al is the author of three books, including Raising The Bar: The Definitive Guide to Pull-up Bar Calisthenics and Pushing The Limits! Total Body Strength With No Equipment. Read more about Al on his website:www.AlKavadlo.com.

Filed Under: Progressive Calisthenics, Workshop Experiences Tagged With: 2014 recap, Al Kavadlo, PCC Workshop, progressive calisthenics, Upcoming Workshops

Happy Days At PCC Milwaukee

November 11, 2014 By Danny Kavadlo 25 Comments

Al and Danny Kavadlo in Milwaukee, WI

It’s no secret that since its inception just over one year ago, the Progressive Calisthenics Certification has grown and grown, gaining strength, momentum and community as the days go by. After all, the first rule of PCC is you DO talk about PCC; it’s good to see we’re all doing our jobs!

For our twelfth certification, we headed up North to Drench fitness in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, prepared to have a great workshop in a great city on a Great Lake. And that’s exactly what we did!

Alex Cordero Archer Pull up
You see ‘dem Packers? I mean, packed shoulders?

As is the case when so many bodyweight gladiators get together, something incredible happens. Anyone who’s ever partaken in a push-up contest or a pull-up jam knows exactly what I’m talking about. You see, when you put so much fire and passion together in one place, the room itself ignites in a celebration of energy, inspiration and motivation. It’s an incredible thing to behold.

The calisthenics killers of the Badger State proved their epic power, as personal bests were achieved by just about everybody. There’s nothing like the feeling of earning a one arm pushup, stand-to-stand bridge or human flag when you’ve never done it before. Like they say, you never forget your first!

Katie Petersen One-Arm Pushup
Pushing the limits at PCC

It’s with a heavy heart that we leave America’s heartland. It’s amazing how such a life-changing weekend can go by so quickly, but the friends we’ve made and the experiences we shared will transcend time. These days are ours. PCC is forever.

Congratulations to the new wave of freshly appointed Progressive Calisthenics Instructors. We are proud to have you represent!

Milwaukee_PCC_Group_Photo

The posse’s getting bigger,
-DK

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Danny Kavadlo is one of the world’s foremost authorities on calisthenics, nutrition and personal training. He is the author of the Dragon Door titles Diamond-Cut Abs and Everybody Needs Training. Danny is known for his minimalist philosophy, simple approach and motivational talents.

A true in-person experience, Danny is a Master Instructor for Dragon Door’s Progressive Calisthenics Certification. He has been featured in the NY Times, TRAIN, Men’s Fitness and is a regular contributor to Bodybuilding.com. Learn more about Danny at www.DannyTheTrainer.com

Filed Under: Progressive Calisthenics, Workshop Experiences Tagged With: Danny Kavadlo, Milwaukee PCC Workshop, motivation, PCC, PCC Workshop, progressive calisthenics, workshop experience, Workshop recap

The Joy of Troubleshooting Progressive Calisthenics

September 2, 2014 By Adrienne Harvey 41 Comments

 

Adrienne NYC Push-Up

One of the many things I enjoy about teaching at PCC workshops as a Senior PCC Instructor is helping people get past where they’ve been “stuck” on a given progression. This is also very rewarding with my own clients at home, but since I know them so well, it’s a bit easier to predict where they are having trouble. With a room full of new people—most if not all of who are very physically accomplished—the task of helping them troubleshoot their progress takes on a new level of difficulty. And since I don’t know them very well, what I like to do is to help them determine where the “sticking point” really is, and why the problem is occurring.

From there it’s much easier to figure out what needs work. The bigger hope is that by going through this process, the attendee will learn how to evaluate their own future issues and be able to do the same thing for their clients!

Some of the most enjoyable moments at a PCC workshop surround the privilege of watching the “light bulb” come on for someone. While most of the time people assume that someone can’t do a move just for a lack of strength, this isn’t always the case. Other sticking points can be related to coordination, mobility, an unfamiliar movement pattern, a lack of proprioception in a new position (upside down!), fear, or any number of very mental reasons.

The following are a few examples of successful troubleshooting, and the train of thought in each. The first and last are from my own struggles, the middle two are from a recent PCC Workshop. Hopefully these examples will give you ideas to try in your own practice, and if you’re an instructor, with your clients or students.

To Me, There Was a UNIVERSE of Difficulty Between These 2-3 Steps

I am still very much in pursuit of a feet together, straight-leg, full on, no excuses, held for time, press flag. Mainly because you just don’t see women do them, or if you do, it’s in the context of an extreme straddle position, which while it is still very impressive, is not nearly the feat of strength I want to demonstrate. Watching Al and Danny pop up into the human flags at will, and at length at any PCC workshop inspires an incredible amount of very motivating envy.

kickup to chamber press
This is more difficult than it looks…

Having conquered the clutch flag, which I can do on any given day, for time, reliably, and have now coached tons of other men and women to do, I originally approached the press flag with a false sense of security. I took to the first step of “support press” rapidly, and the same with the press hang. Though it took a whole lot of practice to feel comfortable with that unusual grip. I studied the photos in Convict Conditioning Vol 2 a bit obsessively, I watched videos. I found video of a woman in Russia who does not seem to be affected by gravity, but by watching her, gained a LOT of knowledge. I even went so far as to attend a couple “pole fitness” classes (stop laughing) and quizzed some of their most advanced teachers and students about that unusual and at first very not-secure-feeling grip.

While I could do the press hang, and was even able to lift my feet (legs straight and together) reasonably high off the ground after a while, when I tried to kick up into that overhead vertical position to come DOWN to the press flag, some part of my body was putting on the brakes. Suddenly, my grip seemed unsure, just thinking about kicking up with that much force was making my palms sweat right through my trusted “secret weapon” known as “liquid dry hands”. What was going on?

“Just kick up really hard,” the guys said. Then I realized something very significant. While I don’t like to make training very “gender specific” this is one area that’s of obvious concern—center of gravity! Guys typically will have their center of gravity within the upper body (and closer to the pole on a flag) than women who typically will have a lower center of gravity around the hips. That’s certainly the case with me. This explained why kicking hard enough to get my hips high enough to be over my head was causing a little mental distress.

Here’s what I did over the period of several weeks:

  • Increased my confidence in the necessary grip by practicing it more and more, even just hanging there!
  • Practiced the kick-up with and without the grip being in question. I found some bars that were parallel (think gymnastic stall bars, or a welded-in-place ladder) and allowed me to wrap my hands fully around this neutral grip. With increased confidence in this practice grip, I felt ok enough about really LAUNCHING myself into the air at nearly full force! From there I was able to dial back and learn exactly how hard I’d need to kick up.
  • I put it all together and was finally able to kick up while gripping a pole, and stay up there with my feet pointed towards the ceiling. Eventually I became comfortable enough with this that I could find the places where the leverage was and was not so favorable, and found the next areas of STRENGTH I’d need to build up to keep progressing towards the full flag.

She Had All the Strength She Needed…

At a recent PCC, an attendee was obviously more than strong enough to nail an elbow lever, but somehow didn’t know that quite yet. Similar to my own experience with the flag above, we just needed to mentally put two and two together.

First of all, having seen the other moves that this particular attendee could already do, I knew that her abdominal strength was more than sufficient for a great elbow lever from the ground. But, she was struggling on the ground, and having a hard time finding that “floating feeling” balance that’s often a combination of body position and leverage. Fortunately there was a box nearby of nearly the perfect height.

She was able to experiment on this raised platform in two crucial ways that led to two PRs in a row:

  • Standing next to the box, she was able to pay close attention to the position of her arms/elbows and her trunk. She was also able to now see how to “push forward” to balance her body on elbows that were not as bent as they might look when others perform the elbow lever.
  • Once the arms/elbows/chest were in the right place, she slowly but steadily was able to bring her legs up from the ground higher and higher. In the time it took to blink, I saw her absolutely nail a perfect elbow lever then hold it—legs perfectly straight. Then, when John Du Cane came by with his camera, she tried it again and held it for so long that no one could believe that this was her second-ever elbow lever!
A virtuoso performance of the elbow lever by Al Kavadlo
A virtuoso performance of the elbow lever by Al Kavadlo

Just be Nearby So I Don’t Feel Like I’ll Fall on My Head

Sometimes all we need is a little confidence or reassurance, and that’s when a training partner, or empathetic instructor can really make a world of difference. This PCC attendee had longed to do a handstand but had a significant amount of fear of falling over—even while using the wall for support. This is very common since we are all much more accustomed to being “right-side up”.

We talked about headstands, crow stands and all those things she was doing very well, then moved towards the wall. What was the issue? Part of it was similar to my own with the progressions towards the human flag. She was afraid of kicking up too hard and falling over. So I got very close to spot (while also being sure not to be kicked), and made her promise to keep her elbows straight.

At first she didn’t kick hard enough, but that first push towards the wall was in itself confidence-building. The next kick was too hard, but no biggie, while staying in communication I helped her steady her feet until she was ready to come down. The next kick up was closer to ideal, and she didn’t need my help at all. She did it again with me nearby once more, then felt confident enough to start practicing them on her own. From that point I saw her do TONS of handstands with the wall during the rest of the breaks that day!

That Elusive Clutch-Lever…

Adrienne Clutch Lever Danny
In this magic show, Danny gets to wear the cool hat, but I’m doing the hard work…

Diamond Cut Abs by Danny Kavadlo coming soon

I was very excited to be asked to appear in some photos for Danny Kavadlo’s upcoming book Diamond Cut Abs, and of course wanted to be in as many cool photos as possible. When they first described the photo seen above, I wanted to make sure it happened no matter what.  Of course it involves the clutch lever and holding it for a bit, so that the synchronized “acting” Danny is doing in the photo would have the desired effect in the photo.

Al and Danny Clutch Lever
NOW it makes sense…

There was just one problem, for some reason I just couldn’t get the clutch lever move that day. I’d done it at home several times, I’d done it after a PCC workshop ages ago when we were all just hanging around, playing with moves and socializing. Today was NOT my day. I was frustrated with myself, and was doing a mediocre job of hiding it. So as we stood there troubleshooting it, I kept applying my secret weapon “Liquid Dry Hands” while listening intently to Al and Danny.

Then Al popped up and did one. Sure enough, right after seeing him DO a clutch lever, the move mentally clicked into place for me. BOOM. I had it. At least that time, but the timing of the photo was off, so we had to do it again, and again, and I started to stop being able to do it. I said, “Al!!! Do it again!” I needed another dose of “monkey see, monkey do” and sure enough, I could do it again. And we got the shot. It’s one of many very cool photos in Diamond Cut Abs which is a really fantastic book.  Can’t wait to see it all in print!

The take-home conclusion from this odd “monkey see, monkey do” situation was simply that I needed to spend more time on this move, to really fit into it and understand—mentally and physically—where I am in space, and how to reliably replicate that feeling on the spot. The prescription = more practice.

How did you move past a sticking point? Have you discovered a special “micro step” of your own? Please share it with us in the comments below!

 ***

About Adrienne Harvey, Senior PCC Instructor, RKC-II, CK-FMS, Primal Move Nat’l Instructor: Originally RKC Certified in 2010, and RKC Level 2 certified in 2011, kettlebell and bodyweight training have been crucial in Adrienne’s personal quest for fitness. A core member of the PCC team, Adrienne loves sharing her knowledge with small groups and individuals. She also loves to develop recipes and workout programs to further support performance, body composition, and of course—FUN.  Go to http://www.giryagirl.com for more information about Adrienne!

Filed Under: Progressive Calisthenics, Tutorial Tagged With: Adrienne Harvey, coaching, mental training, PCC Workshop, progressive calisthenics, skill training, trouble shooting, troubleshooting

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